Garcinia kola

Garcinia kola (bitter kola, a name sometimes also used for G. afzelii) is a species of flowering plant belonging to the Mangosteen genus Garcinia of the family Clusiaceae (a.k.a. Guttiferae). It is found in Benin, Cameroon, The Gambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The fruit, seeds ("bitter kola nuts") and bark of the plant have been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat ailments from coughs to fever. According to a report from the Center For International Forestry Research, Garcinia kola trade is still important to the indigenous communities and villages in Nigeria. Cola acuminata, source of the true kola nut, is not related to Garcinia kola belonging not to Clusiaceae but to a subfamily of the mallow family Malvaceae.

Description

A medium sized tree. It grows to 12 m high. It can reach 28 m high. The crown is spreading. The trunk is straight. The bark is brown. The branches droop. The leaves are 3.5-14 cm long and 2.5-6 cm wide. They are leathery. The leaf stalk is stout and about 6 mm long. The flowers are greenish-white. The flowers contain both sexes but there are also male flowers. The flowers have fine hairs. The fruit are reddish-yellow. They are 6 cm across. They contain 2-4 brown seeds. These are in an orange coloured pulp. Both the pulp and seed are edible.

Edible Uses

The seeds are eaten raw, with a bitter, astringent, aromatic flavour somewhat like a raw coffee bean, followed by a slight sweetness or lingering pepperiness. They are chewed together with the seeds of true cola (Cola spp.), and are thought to enhance enjoyment of the cola and allow larger quantities to be consumed without indisposition. The fruits are extremely sour but are sometimes eaten; they are orange-sized and contain a yellow pulp surrounding four seeds.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are chewed as a stimulant. They are chewed with Cola nuts. The fruit are very sour but are sometimes eaten. The seed or nut is chewed raw but is bitter. The bark is used as a flavouring in an alcoholic drink. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

Medicinal Uses

Bitter kola is widely used in traditional African medicine, with most parts of the plant employed across a broad range of ailments. The bark contains tannins, a reducing sugar, traces of an alkaloid, and flavonoids, and is extremely bitter, resinous, and astringent. Stem, root, and seed extracts have demonstrated strong anti-hepatotoxic and hepatotropic activity. Petroleum ether and acetone extracts show marked antimicrobial properties. The bark also contains an abundant sticky resinous gum taken internally to treat gonorrhoea, and applied externally to skin infections and fresh wounds. The bark is considered aphrodisiac and galactagogue. A decoction is used to treat female sterility and ease childbirth, taken daily until conception is certain and then at half quantity throughout the term; it is also used to induce expulsion of a dead foetus. Powdered bark is applied externally to malignant tumours and cancers. A tea combining the bark with the bark of Sarcocephalus latifolius is well regarded as a diuretic, urinary decongestant, and treatment for chronic urethral discharge. The bark combined with Piper guineense and plantain stalk sap (Musa sp.) is used to embricate the breast for mastitis. The seed and bark are taken together for stomach pains. Leaves and bark are used for pulmonary and gastrointestinal complaints. The root and bark serve as a tonic for men. A leaf infusion is purgative. The fruits are eaten in Nigeria as a remedy for general aches in the head and back, and as a vermifuge. The seeds are considered antidote, antitussive, aphrodisiac, astringent, and vermifuge; chewing them is said to relieve coughs, hoarseness, and bronchial and throat complaints. Taken dry, they are used against dysentery and as an antidote to Strophanthus poisoning. Caffeine, present in true kola, is absent here. A trace alkaloid has been reported in Nigerian material but not in all samples. Tannins are present which may carry the antibacterial compounds morellin and guttiferin, and unidentified resins may also contribute to the activity.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the understorey in the forest.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa,

Cultivation

Seeds are difficult to germinate. They can be harvested fresh and then incubated in a banana stem for 3 weeks. Alternatively a poly-ethylene bag is used.

Propagation

Seed has short viability and should be sown as soon as possible. Fresh, mature seeds are dormant but viable, making rapid and uniform germination within a seed lot difficult. Although the thin leathery seed coat is not a barrier to water penetration, de-coating or soaking in 70% ethanol solution for 1–2 hours can raise germination to more than 90% after about 5 months. Intact fresh seeds germinate at approximately 50%, beginning after about 3 months at ambient temperature (25–28°C), with most seeds having germinated 7–8 months after sowing in river sand. In nursery trials, seeds continued to germinate for 18 months, reaching a final germination level of 75%.

Other Uses

The tree provides shade in cocoa plantations. Its bark contains an abundant sticky resinous gum with waterproofing properties, historically used to protect powder in the priming pans of flintlock guns from rain. The gum is incendiary, causing the twigs to burn brightly; they are used as tapers. The bark is used in tanning and has at times been exported as a tanning material. The bitter leaves are used as a flea deterrent. The sapwood is creamy white and the heartwood yellow, darkening to brown at the centre; it is hard, close-grained, finishes smoothly, takes a good polish, is durable, and fairly resistant to termites. The wood's principal use is for chew-sticks, which are believed to whiten teeth and clean the mouth and are widely used in West Africa. Smaller trees are commonly felled specifically for this purpose, the wood being cut and split into pencil-sized pieces. The roots are also used as chew-sticks, sometimes in preference to the wood, and are believed to prevent dental caries, though tests have shown no antibiotic activity.

Production

It takes 8 years to grow to 12 m tall.

Other Information

It is a cultivated plant. It is an important fruit tree in Nigeria. Seeds are sold in local markets. The bark is also sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 300 Garcinia species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Adi, Agambo, Agbilu, Akara, Akbatuwe, Akilu, Aki ilu, Angudia, Aouolie, Bolele, Ebon gagnagne, Edun, Efiat, Goro, Gworo, Heckel, Ibi-aku, Igoligo, Mbongo, Mmiale, Mpkom, Namijin, Ngadiadia, Ngadidi, Ngadjadja, Ngbwel, Oge, Okogon, Onale, Ondale, Onie, Onye, Orogba, Orogbo, Oyale, Tchapiah, Tchiouape, Toagbebiho, Tweapea, Umbongo, Ziede

References (49)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
• Aniama, S. O., et al, 2016, Ethnobotanical documentaton of some plants among Igala people of Kogi State (Nigeria). The International Journal Of Engineering And Science (IJES). 5(4) pp 33-42
• Assogbadjo, A. E. et al, 2013, Specific Richness and Cultural Importance of Wild Edible Trees in Benin. Acta Hort. 979, ISHS 2013
• Atato, A., et al, 2010, Diversity of Edible Wild Fruit Tree Species of Togo. Global Science Books.
• Billong Fils, P. E., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka people in southeastern Cameroon. Journal or Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 16:64 p 8

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